Kale with carmelized Vidalia Onion

It seems like every day you are told by some sort of media outlet , health care provider, or even good old mom, "you need to eat right and exercise". This makes sense and you want to do it. You know all the health issues associated with being overweight and not exercising, but really, how do you go about it? It can be overwhelming, especially if you don't cook and don't have much time to work out. My goal is to help you with these important objectives in a blog that focuses on eating healthy and staying fit. We are going to focus on simple, easy changes that can help change your life and guide you to the place you want to be without a complicated dieting and workout program. When it comes to eating, the idea is to eat as close to the earth as possible. Another words, eat as little processed foods as possible. When it come to fitness, I will show you simple exercises that focus on problem areas as you age. We'll try to fit workouts around your busy lifestyle. Lets get started!

This blog is going to focus on preparing a dish with a healthy, often overlooked vegetables--kale and/ or swiss chard . As you can see from the photos that these are the strange colored vegetables, that many have no idea what to do with, and maybe have never even eaten. When I say salad, most people picture boring iceberg lettuce or even the ever pervasive mixed baby greens, which many of you douse with fattening dressings. A lot of people rush through their grocery's veggie section, content to fill plastic bags full of the typical salad greens, maybe a cucumber or two, then they grab a bottle Thousand Island dressing and move on.

At this point let me digress for a minute as I mentioned grocery shopping above. Please bring your own reusable bags to the grocery. Just leave them behind the seat of your car so you have them for every shopping trip, just not groceries. It saves the landfill from yet another plastic bag and will make you feel you are doing your part to conserve. Thank you for your indulgence.

Okay, back to the beautiful photo's of kale and swiss chard. These vegetables are super packed with all the vitamins missing out of your diet and you may know that, but, how do you choose it, store it, and serve it?

First, let's take a closer look at them in the store. They should be vibrant green in the leaves,but the stalks for swiss chard can be many colors, bright pink red, yellow and pale green. The leaves can be as long as 12-16 inches, but as short as 4 to 6 inches. They can be ruffled or flat depending on their size. Choose a bunch with vibrant color, with leaves that stand up on their own. If they look wimpy or wilted, choose another green, say mustard greens or spinach, because my super fast and yummy recipe will cover any of these choices.

Once you have them home and if you don't plan on eating the chard or kale that day you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. But first be sure to prep it right. You want to rinse all the leaves in cold running water to remove any dirt or grit. It does come from the earth after all! Then, lay out a large dish towel or clean flour sack (can be purchased for baking bread but works great for storing vegetables too) and wrap the chard or kale loosely in the towel. Now you are ready to put it in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. If the swiss chard or kale stalk is a bit long, before you wrap it up in the towel, just cut off the stalk bottom as this does not have to be included in the dish. If you are a cook like me, who hates to throw away anything edible. you can wrap them in the towel, once cut to fit your crisper, then later you can chop and add the stalk to the recipe I have provided . Or, chop and freeze the stalk for a later date to add crunch to soups and stews. I am not super fond of the stalk myself, but you might be!

Cooking note: If your family isn't thrilled with the new green stuff on their plates(we all know how picky kids can be), you of course can add cheese. The all-time favorite of mom's and chef's the world over. A nice aged Gouda grated over the top is always a winner! Enjoy!